695 Grand Street | terrain-nyc

Firm： terrain-nyc

Type： Residential › Apartment Multi Unit Housing

STATUS： Built

YEAR： 2018

SIZE： 5000 sqft - 10,000 sqft

Terrain designed a communal terrace for residents of the St. Nick’s Alliance affordable housing building at 695 Grand Street in Brooklyn. The terrace features a large timber island and bleacher, which orients views towards spectacular sunsets, native planting, a vegetable and herb garden, and a variety of seating options. The island creates a series of circuits and playable surface for children to enjoy and explore. Viewed from above, the terrace’s distinct form acts as borrowed landscape for many of the building’s residents to enjoy in all four seasons.

Building residents actively garden throughout the terrace’s planted areas, growing their own flowers and vegetables. This ad hoc planting is a reminder that all landscapes evolve and change over time as residents call them home. The design’s flexibility supports this approach to planting design and serves as a model for adaptable landscape design.